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Festive season comes early for some

Dear diary,

Today’s the first day of the movement control order in Malaysia.

It was put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19, which has claimed two lives in the country.

Here’s how it has developed so far.

7.59am: Former Minister for Federal Territories Khalid Samad says Pakatan Harapan had the situation under control. Enough of this comparisson. Move on, lah. We need to fight this together.

8am-11am: Kuala Langat District Council forced to disperse traders at an outdoor market. Those in Penang and Sibu probably believe they are immune to the coronavirus as they continue gathering and dining at eateries. Unbelievable really, since the food there isn’t that great.

11.05am: Traffic from Subang Jaya to Taman Tun Dr Ismail lighter than usual but many vehicles are still on the road. It feels like any other Saturday.

11.40am: Hero Market at Plaza TTDI still crowded with hardly anyone wearing masks or gloves apart from the workers. Parking is still a problem. Bah!

11.45am: Terminal Bersepadu Selatan was crowded with some people seen sleeping on the floor, according to The Mole’s Zaidi Azmi and Ahirul Ahirudin. It felt like a week before Raya.

The duo later visited Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Bukit Bintang and said it was empty. It felt like the first day of Raya, they said.

12.25pm: Received a WhatsApp from a friend. It was a screenshot of a tweet. Best advice for everyone.

1.30pm: Twentytwo13’s senior copy editor Purwaiz Alam is relieved as he found a shop to tapau his banana leaf rice meal. All is right in the world, after all.

3.10pm: Malaysian Bar president Salim Bashir, irked by the ‘tidak apa‘ attitude among Malaysians, told Twentytwo13: “It is not business as usual and is certainly not Cuti-Cuti Malaysia season. Except for emergencies or any other forceful reasons, a person should not be allowed to travel.”

4.29pm: Rapid KL rail service to be revised effective Friday. Expect 10-minute waits instead of the usual six. Although regular passengers may argue they are used to longer waits.

5.18pm: People are finally staying indoors as it’s raining heavily in Kuala Lumpur.

5.40pm: Health Ministry says 117 new Covid-19 recorded today, bringing total number of cases to 790. Eighty of the new cases reported today is related to the Sri Petaling gathering.

8.10pm: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in a televised speech, repeatedly told Malaysians to “just stay at home”. It can’t get any clearer than that.

PsST poster